Act of God
by nightmareofcat
Summary: Being sent back to Earth in chains, S.H.I.E.L.D manages to get creative in their punishments. Thor only hopes for his brother to be redeemed. Sophie...just wants to get this over with. Follow Loki on his path to redemption through...creative means, maybe even find himself with a reason to want to change. Post from Tumblr rp thread. co-author Notpedeka
1. Chapter 1

welcome to our little corner of insanity!

this is a RP done with the wonderful Notpedeka from Tumblr.

DISCLAIMER! WE DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE AVENGERS OR THEIR AFFILIATES! THEY ALL BELONG TO THE FANTASTIC PEOPLE OF MARVEL!

enjoy the show!

"Act of God" That is what the insurance companies said when they didn't want to pay out . "Act of God" No one could argue that loophole. That spring day when the sky opened up and dumped nightmares onto New York had definitely been host to an act of God. Or gods, names like Thor. Loki, and…

Loki didn't spend as much time in his cell as he thought he would. Just a few short weeks before he was summoned to confront the All-Father.

"I have been in contact with the governing powers of S.H.I.E.L.D. and they have agreed. Loki, you will be sent back to Midgard to repent for your actions. Until you have shown the mortals the same love and compassion that you show your Mother, you will not be allowed back to into the halls of Asgard."

Loki could do nothing but gape as the All-Father spoke, slowly backing away as far as his shackles would allow. Thor stepped forward, taking the leads that held the one he once called brother. He lead Loki out of the throne room and back towards the Rainbow Bridge. An accompanying guard held the Tesseract device out to the princes, they grasped the handles and twisted. Off once again to Midgard and Loki's fate.

Fury felt as though he was going to need some serious therapy and heavy doses of anti-psychotics to deal with everything that was happening. First an alien invasion by a guy that thought golden horns were a fashion statement and now the World Security Council with this insane idea. He needed a good stiff drink….or twelve.

He called Agent Hill into his office. "Hill, gather five agents and have them go over these files. They will be assigned as liasons to the mentioned people. The Security Council cooked up an idea even worse than nuking Manhattan."

Hill gave a nod and left the office. Fury allowed himself to flop into his chair. "Well shit." Was all he could say at this point.

Agent Masters had been sitting in the café for over 4 hours now, casually sipping coffee or nibbling on a pastry. His target finally sat down at a table not far from him just after what this place would call a lunch rush. He stood from his seat and approached the subject. One Sophia Arbor whose brother was killed during the Chitauri invasion, leaving her struggling and without family. A person that has every reason to hate The Subject.

She tensed as he approached her table. 'Good' He thought 'She has every reason to be wary' Her file also mentioned something about her family being predisposed to certain genetic mutations, what they were no one was sure of.

Masters pulled out the chair opposite her and sat. "Miss. Arbor, my name is Agent Masters with S.H.I.E.L.D. We were the people responsible for forming The Avengers. I am here with a proposal, in regards to Subject 86753-09 Code name Rudolph…..Please don't ask where that came from. You might know him better as Loki, the self proclaimed god responsible for your brother's death." He went into detail about what would happen.

The Subject would live with her for two days a week then switch to another victims family for another two days and so on for ten days, five families total. The Subject would be there to witness the struggles that families go through on a daily basis without their loved ones present. Doing this S.H.I.E.L.D. and the 'Higher Powers' are hoping that it would reform The Subject to show remorse and kindness to other creatures.

"What do you say Miss. Arbor, can we count you in?" Masters leaned back in his chair to wait for her answer.

After the word SHIELD, Sophia's body painfully tensed up. She almost couldn't hear him over the pounding of her heart. She couldn't run. He was between her and the door.

"OK Sophie, Be calm." she told herself between two ragged breaths.

Her hands slid off of the table and onto her lap. She twisted her rings around on her fingers, especially the one her father had given her before he died. It was a stone that jewelers called a London blue color in a simple platinum setting. She fidgeted while she tried to focus on what Agent Masters was saying. And what he might not be saying.

Suddenly, he was leaning back and waiting for her. He was so smug and in control in his bland suit, with his assured smirk, with his undoubted arsenal under his jacket. The fact that he had singled her out to supposedly play a part in this melodrama disgusted her. Was SHIELD trying to use her grief against her?

"NO! I want nothing to do with this or you! The whole thought is repulsive. I don't want SHIELD or this Loki in my home! How the hell is having him stare at me while I cry going to help anything? Will it bring David back or pay my bills? I don't even cry in front of my friends!" Sophia spat the rant across the table at the unfazed Agent.

" I should mention that there could be a very substantial remittance in return for your cooperation. Enough for you to simply BUY your brother's apartment and not have to worry about the bills for awhile." Again, he waited for her answer.

Sophia clutched her hands together and tried to think calmly. That wasn't going to happen. She didn't know what to do. She was too alone to fight.

"If I go along with this," she said. " IF. It's 48 hours? Then everyone goes away and forgets that I exist, right? There is NO other reason SHIELD would ever show up again. No cameras in my face. No lengthy debriefings. No dossiers. Right? And I will need assurances that everyone will be safe. No one is getting hurt or exposed to danger, not my neighbors and not here. Especially not here. These are good people that have been taking care of me since I lost David and my job and everything. They need to be safe. And I need one question answered NOW."

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and asked in a quiet shaky voice, " Why me?"


	2. AoG2

"Miss. Arbor I believe you misunderstood me, it's a rotation of families…..for as long as it takes The Subject to either show remorse or he needs to be removed for safety reasons." The Agent leaned forward to rest his arms against the table.

"The Subject has been stripped of his abilities and armed guards will be but a shout or button press away, should he become violent. The safety of those around can be guaranteed as long as you cooperate with us. As for your question….I do not know the answer, that is something you would have to ask Director Fury about. Whom you will meet once your shift here is over." Masters lowered his sunglasses to the tip of his nose to regard her trembling form.

"Do we have a deal, Miss. Arbor?"

" I suppose we do." she sighed. " And I'm done with my lshift. Let's get this over with."

Masters stood by the entrance as she bussed her tray, leading her from the cafe to his vehicle around the corner. With traffic and construction delays it took them over an hour to arrive at a plain building, it looked rather run down and abandoned. Not at all what a government building should be.

They walked into the main entrance, stopping at a security desk to sign her in and verify her identity. Entering the elevator and riding it down to the deepest sub-level.

Masters led her to an unmarked door at the end of the hall, he opened it and told her to take a seat. "The Director will be with you shortly, good luck Miss. Arbor."

At the agent's "Good luck Miss Arbor" Sophia's stomach sank straight to the ground. What did he mean by that? Did he look at her oddly? Was it sympathy or good will or just a banality? She couldn't tell. Shit, this whole place was ominous. It felt closed in, like she was going to get buried in this basement. She never should have let herself feel so cornered that she agreed to this. Shit.

David could have told her how to deal with this. David would have just dealt with it FOR her. He would have come home, patted her on the shoulder and said, " Don't worry about a thing Sophie. I hit them with so many court orders they can't even think your name without going to jail. No one is going to get to you."

No one was around to protect her anymore though. Someone in this building had made that the case. With that thought her paranoia began to burn in her belly as anger.

Sophia checked her make-up in her compact and applied some lipstick, trying not to clench her jaw. She was NOT going to fidget like she was waiting outside of the Principal's office. Who did these people think they were, to drag her down here to sit and wait for them?

"Miss Arbor, Director Fury will see you now. Please step in" A thin pretty woman gestured Sophia through the now open door into a simple and functional office.

A stern man, wearing all black, including his eyepatch, sat at a large desk. Behind the desk was a full wall made out of what looked like a smoked glass mirror. They weren't even hiding the fact that there was an audience for this meeting.

Sophia sat in a chair opposite the desk without waiting to be asked and crossed her hands in her lap .

"Now Miss Arbor. Sophia?" Fury started.

She cut him off. " Miss Arbor."

Director Fury began again, hardly attempting to hide his exasperation. "OK then, Miss Arbor. I am Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD. We are sorry to have pulled you away from your day, but…"

" You are sorry? Do you know what I did with my day today? I poured coffee and flirted with old men for tips." Sophia got out of her chair and bent all the way over Director Fury's desk, leaning on her elbows to make sure that he got at least one good eyeful of her cleavage. " If there's a coffee maker around here, I could put in another shift right now." Venom dripped from her voice.

Sophia held eye contact with the intimidating man for a moment before she straightened herself and sat back down.

"Now, if you please sir. Why did you decide that I need to be involved in this?"


	3. AoG3

Fury leaned back in his chair and steeple his fingers, regarding her outburst silently for a moment. "Miss. Arbor we feel, after careful consideration, your situation is ideal for this trial program."

He stood then, walked around his desk to lean against it directly in front of her. "To put it bluntly Miss. Arbor, of the many that perished, you and a select few others are the only ones with no family left. Basically if something were to happen to you, there is no one that would come forward in righteous fury. Hence the reason you were chosen for this program. If the Subject can be reformed, Earth as a whole will receive more intergalactic backing than you can ever imagine. More resources and knowledge than we can comprehend."

Fury stood again and walked over to the mirrored wall where he pressed a button, the glass cleared to reveal Loki chained and muzzled on the other side.

"Meet your new house guest, Miss. Arbor. Subject 86753-09. Loki, fallen Prince of Asgard and man responsible for the death of your brother."

Sophia was almost relieved when she heard that the only reason SHIELD wanted her co-operation was because if she got herself killed no one would miss her. There could have been more terrifying things, she thought.

But when the glass cleared, all of the air was sucked out of her lungs. She could clearly see one of those more terrifying things. Loki.

He was tall and pale and looked almost as angry as she felt. Her eyes locked with the bright, arrogant ones above the muzzle. It seemed like he was going to stare right through her. Fury COULDN"T think there was anything redeemable about this man.

She broke the gaze with a shiver and returned her glare to Director Fury.

"Is it housetrained?"

Fury glanced at her. "Think of him as a big cat, you can show him where to go but there is no guarantee he won't piss on the carpet just to spite you. He's had his shots and still has his claws; none of us want to deal with his brother if we tried to neuter him." He walked away from the window back to his desk, where he retrieved a key from a drawer.

"This key opens the front door to your new apartment, completely secure. It was built by Tony Stark to dampen his magic capabilities. Across the hall is where Agents Romanoff and Barton will stay. They will be your handlers, you report in to them if something comes up or you need anything. The other people in the program will live on the floors below you as will the other handlers." He dropped the key in her hand.

"The program will officially begin next week, that gives you time to move your things and make arrangements. You will also be given a bank account that will have weekly deposits put towards it, use it as you see fit. Now I must also tell you that a few of the other people in the program may have to travel so the others will have to pick up the slack, meaning that the Subject may have to stay more than 48 hours with you." Fury went and sat back behind his desk.

"The Agents will give you your information packet and bank information when you arrive at the apartment, if you have any further questions they can be directed to your handlers. Enjoy the rest of your day Miss. Arbor." Fury pulled out some paperwork, silently dismissing Sophia.


	4. AoG4

Sophia took a step into the beautiful, modern apartment and froze. She didn't notice the wall of floor to ceiling windows or the breathtaking view of New York that they offered. She didn't see the massive river stone fireplace or the leather and velvet furnishings. It would be days before she discovered the massive amount of tech that was built into every aspect of the space. For a moment nothing in the world existed except for a pair of piercing green eyes that flicked up and down her, then settled to meet her own. Those eyes were searching and questioning and judging at a level of scrutiny she was not expecting. She was supposed to be the one with an axe to grind here.

A woman's voice broke the stare. " Miss Arbor. I WAS told that you prefer Miss Arbor. I am Agent Romanoff. Just behind you is Agent Barton. We are here to provide security and monitor this situation."

Sophia's own green eyes grew large as she looked from the beautiful redhead that was speaking to her to the well muscled man that was standing by the door. The introduction wasn't needed. She knew who they were. The whole world knew who they were from the news footage.

"Avengers, Shit." Sophia whispered. Her bags dropped to the floor from her hands and shoulders. "And to think, I was under the impression that I was expendable. Or are we expecting Red Skull, Bin Laden and the North Korean army for dinner as well as", she nodded toward the lounging figure of Loki "HIM?"

Natasha's lips barely quirked as Clint let out a chuckle. "No Miss. Arbor, only intergalactic terrorists here today. The others were booked, maybe lunch next week." She glanced down at Loki, who just kept staring at Sophie. "Agent Barton, will you keep an eye on the Subject for a few moments while I get Miss. Arbor settled in." Clint glowered at her request.

"This way Miss. Arbor." Natasha walked back towards what could only be a bedroom, Sophie right behind her.

Once in the room, Natasha didn't give her a chance to look around fully, she handed Sophie an envelope and a folder. "Inside these you will find any and all information you will need. The envelope contains the information for your S.H.I.E.L.D. bank account as well as request forms for anything you might not be able to purchase out on the street as well as a phone, the phone is for us to contact you and vice versa. The folder contains information on the Subject as well as contact info for anyone not already programmed in the phone. If for some reason you are not able to contact myself or Agent Barton, go down stairs. Other handlers will be available."

Natasha walked over to a small picture near the door. "Behind this painting are four buttons. The red one alerts everyone that there is an emergency and you need help, be it from an intruder or the Subject is getting unruly, it will also lock down the apartment to anyone but us. The yellow seals your bedroom off, basically turns it into a safe room. The green button is an all clear, it unseals the apartment. As you can probably guess the entire apartment is wired with both audio and visual monitoring equipment, only your bathroom is clear. Your bedroom is audio recording. That is where the blue button comes in, it shuts off the devices. Now I have to advise you not to shut off the equipment for your safety but we also will respect your privacy, so if you ever wanted to…..entertain a guest while the Subject is with another person you may do so. Pressing the button again will turn it back on. Any further questions?"

Sophia glanced quickly around the room. Bed, dresser, closet, window, bed table, bathroom door, all very nice and but very normal. It didn't look like the fishbowl it suddenly felt like. She wiped her palms nervously down the thighs of her pants as she looked at the picture that hid the control panel.

"Yes actually, plenty. I can come and go as I need, right? I can go to work? He will be in here overnight? Has he been given ground rules? OK. I guess I need to read this," she tapped the folder, "before I even know enough to know what else I need to ask."

Sophia mustered up her courage and opened her mouth again quickly. "One more question though. It's a tough one. Can you look me in the eye and swear that it was the aliens that flipped that cab over that killed my brother? Swear that it wasn't one of you, trying to save someone that you assumed was more important or trying to kill someone that you thought was more dangerous? I know Loki is the one that tore the sky open on us, believe me, but I can't quite believe he is the only one with blood on his hands without that assurance. Sorry."

Then she sat on the edge of the bed, absently opening the folder and waiting for the other woman's responses.

Natasha scrutinized the woman as she flipped through the folder; she walked over to the panel and pressed the blue button. "What I am about to tell you required that I shut the equipment off, it is classified even beyond my clearance level. I only know because Stark still had access to the files." she walked over and sat next to Sophie.

"Of the over 900 people that died that day, well over 600 of them were from friendly fire or caught in the middle of falling debris. All reports and interviews indicate that the Chitauri didn't directly kill anyone; they detained and moved them or just caused minor injury. Fear was their major purpose." Natasha sighed and looked Sophie straight in the eye.

"From what we could tell, your brother was crushed under a cab. One flipped by Thor to kill nearly a dozen Chitauri soldiers and save Captain America's life."

Sophia blinked very slowly. The nervous tension drained out of her suddenly, leaving her feeling weak.

She wasn't terribly shocked by this revelation. The question wouldn't have been in her mind if this hadn't been a possibility. She had never been one to believe in heroes. The world existed in shades of gray and not black and white. It's just that no one had been so forthright about David's death with her before. And now she had to figure out how this information fit in with Loki.

"Thank you. My friends call me Sophie." she said quietly as she rose from the bed, stepped across the carpet and pressed the blue button on the panel.

Natasha nodded in acknowledgement.

"I'll just bring my bags in here now, I guess."


	5. AoG5

The heels of Sophia's boots clicked on the blue slate floor past the doorway as she went back for her bags. She picked up the 2 larger ones and set them next to the coffee table that was in front of the chair that Loki was sitting in. They thudded to the floor. His gaze glanced across them and back to her as she took the other 3 bags back to her new room. Sophia felt his eyes on her back. She clenched her jaw and pretended to ignore it as she walked back to her room.

Natasha left the room with her after the bags had been dropped on the foot of the bed. As they entered the living room, Sophia turned to the other woman and said, "One more quick question about Subject 86753-09. I don't get the Rudolph thing. Can I call him Jenny?"

Natasha and Clint both snorted when she asked that, Loki glared at all of them. Natasha schooled her features. "You can call him what ever you want, just don't call him Frosty; apparently he gets touchy when you call him that." She smirked at the growl Loki sent her way. "We will be across the hall if you need anything….Sophie." With one last nod, the Agents left the apartment.

Loki stared at the door for a few moments after the Agents left. "Am I correct to assume that you have the means to remove these horrid shackles?" He finally spoke, every word dripping with the contempt he felt of the entire situation.

Sophia crossed around the room and sat on the sofa opposite Loki's chair. "Ummm No?" I don't think that I do. I can call the Agents back and ask them." She tilted her head questioningly at him. "I am not sure that I don't feel a bit better with you wearing them right now though."

She leaned over, elbows on knees, chin on hands. "What am I supposed to do with you though? Maybe you can give me a really good reason not to wait until you go to sleep and stab you."

Loki cocked a brow. "You shall be waiting for quite some time for that; I do not sleep often if at all. It would be nice to be out of these shackles, unless you would like to clean my person whilst I bathe?"

He stood and walked near the window. "If you would be as so kind as to show me where I shall be staying and call upon your pet Agents to remove these." He held up his chained hands. "I would…..appreciate it."

He looked near pained when he said it.

Sophia pondered and let civility win out for the moment.

"I'll call", she sighed.

She stood up, pulled the new phone out of her pocket and scrolled through the screen. Looking through the list of names she burst out laughing," Oh My God! I have Iron Man on speed dial. This is just absurd!" Her hands covered her face and she sniffed a few times to control herself before she touched the phone to dial Agent Romanoff.

Sophia wandered over and opened the door across the living room from her own bedroom door. She peeked inside another room almost exactly like hers just as Natasha answered.

"Hi, it's Sophie. I hate to ask so soon, but I could use some help. This guy needs to bathe and can't figure out how to do it on his own with the shackles on. Could someone show me how to get them off of him? If it's OK." she paused a moment for an answer, "Thanks."

She turned back toward Loki standing at the window. He seemed so much larger standing there than he seemed on the news. " Someone will be here soon to help with the shackles. I am guessing that this would be your room in here."

She stepped in to turn on the light. It took her a second to fumble and find the switch.

"Excuse me?" she seethed, eyes opening very wide. His attitude burned her like cold fire. "Did you just DISMISS me? When the fact that I am here is the only reason you aren't locked in a cell in the basement right now? FUCK YOU AND THE EIGHT LEGGED HORSE YOU RODE IN ON!"

Sophia…

The information that Sophia read about her new roommate stunned her. The papers listed act after act of brutality and treachery, committed both by and against him. His family seemed ruinous, even in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s whitewashed version his father and brother's actions would be abusive. Loki truly was a prince, twice over, if not the god that he claimed to be. He had training in fighting, magic„ philosophy, politics, well, just about everything. He was fluent in all languages due to Asgardian all speak". Physically he was stronger than anyone on Earth, at least on par with Steve Rogers. His psyche was damaged and to say he was emotionally unstable would be an understatement.

As a foe he was terrifying. On the surface his violence was that of a madman, but Sophia could see the patterns and tactically, if not morally, his actions were impeccable. Up to a point. Something must have gone horribly wrong for him to have been captured during the attack on New York, unless she thought, remembering what Agent Romanoff had said about the Chitauri, he hadn't wanted to win.

She read and reread the brief passage that explained that he had been with an entity called Thanos and most likely had been tortured extensively before he arrived to steal the Tesseract. Thanos. She choked at that name and wept openly at the horror that the few words implied.

Putting him down like a sick dog might be a kindness at this point. His "redemption" would clearly only serve to let the "good guys" have access to his strength. He was still a murderous, arrogant asshole though.

Agent Barton's arrival shook her out of her thoughts. He had brought the shackles, but laid them on a chair and chatted with her while waiting for Loki to finish bathing.

Sophia had many questions about her situation, but kept them to herself. She was very practiced in shallow conversations and this was comfortable.

Agent Barton, now Clint, leaned against a wall in the kitchen while she began to get food ready to put in the oven. He tensed to attention when Loki lazily wandered out of his room and sat at the kitchen island.

Loki certainly looked less intimidating after his shower. His lounge pants were too large and flopped at his legs. Clearly evident on his pale arms and shoulders were bruises and poorly healing wounds. He spoke and his words sounded as if he practiced dipping them in honey.

"Loki," she sighed, "Just having the chains in the room seem to help your attitude. But again you start by asking me for things. Don't you realize that this less than ideal situation only exists because you have already taken almost everything from me? Do you know if I volunteered for this or if I am here under almost as much coercion as you are? Do you even know my name or who I am? I went through the paperwork and realize that I am now somewhat responsible for your…upkeep…but there is one thing that I am here to do and I am more than willing to do it. I need to be able to convince the powers that be that your head is screwed on well enough for them to do whatever it is that they plan on doing with you next, somewhere very, very far away from here."

Loki cleared his throat, warily eying Barton in the process. "I am not without my manners, Madam. Assuming that you were forced into this 'less than ideal situation' as you say, I could also say that we are both here against our own wishes. No details were given to me other than the basics, including your name, so forgive me for not addressing you properly. Hopefully that is a situation that can be rectified, if not…"

He stood and approached Barton, who tensed as Loki drew closer. "Place your shackles upon me again, Agent Barton. I shall retire back to my room and not bother the Lady again unless she wishes otherwise."

With the shackles back on his wrists, Loki tried with all his might not to stumble from the room. His legs failed him when he reached the doorway; he collapsed against the frame momentarily. Panting and in agony, Loki managed to straighten himself and make it back to his bed. Collapsing on the soft surface and groaning against the pillows.

Loki stretched out on his stomach as much as his injuries would allow and just lay along the bed, quivering occasionally when a spasm ran through an injury.

"Oh for Pete's sake!" Sophia moaned at no one," Is he always this much of a martyr?"

She turned back to Clint," Listen, Why don't you let me have the key to those shackles and give me some time here? Dinner will be ready in about 2 hours. You guys can come and make sure everyone is alive then. OK?"

"It's not a good idea, letting him get to you already. The Agent warned with an unhappy look on his face. But he handed her a key.

"I am not being gotten to. Believe me." Sophia told him sincerely.

On his way out the door, Barton stopped," We will be watching.", and shut the door behind him

A minute later Sophia walked into Loki's room. She pulled a sheaf of papers from a folder and held them out to Loki for him to take. When he hesitated she looked at him with an almost sad look in her eyes and shook them a bit. "Would you look at this and tell me how much of it's true?" she asked in a gentle tone that she hadn't used before.

She set a first aid kit down beside him "Have your wounds been seen to? They don't look good. Do you mind if I dress the ones that still need it while you look at that?"

"I doubt that your efforts can surpass my own healing abilities, but if you insist, you may tend them" He shrugged and set the papers down to allow her to unlock his shackles and he pulled his shirt off over his head.

Sophia suppressed the urge to snap back at his arrogance and looked critically at his unclothed torso. He was correct she saw. The bruises and scars were old. But she would do what she could. He was supposed to be in her care now, and even if she wanted to stab him, she wouldn't let him fester. If he was going to hurt, she would be the one to hurt him and they would both know why.

She ran her fingers gently over the bruising on his shoulders and back. He felt so much softer than he looked. He inhaled deeply, but didn't flinch. Under his skin, his muscles were smooth and tight and strong, undamaged and beautiful.

Loki picked up the papers she had asked him about and began to look at them while she gathered his dark hair to one side and dabbed some ointment into an open cut just below the back of his neck. After she covered it with gauze, she moved to an angry looking half healed scar on the front of his shoulder. This she cleaned more delicately before filling the gap in his skin with ointment and taping the gauze on.

"You were right," she said as she packed away the things," Not much for me to do."

Loki tried not to flinch every time she touched his injuries, a few he couldn't suppress his reaction to. He read through the file, most of it was accurate but a few holes remained. Seems this SHIELD took liberties and filled in the blanks with their own made up tales.


	6. AoG6

He set the papers aside when he was finished. "I am honored by your assistance, Madam. I know I do not deserve such. I implore you to ask your questions, I shall endeavor to answer them to the best of my knowledge…I do ask but one question of you…..What is it that I should call you? No one has told me the names of those that shall be my captors, unless you would prefer remaining nameless? If that be the case Madam you shall be."

He moved to roll over and scoot up the bed, resting against the headboard to look at her properly.

She looked at her hands as she spoke. "My name is Sophia Arbor." Her jaw went tight." The last of my family was killed by your…..in your attack. S.H.I.E.L.D. did not put you in a cell with a captor. They locked you in a rather nice apartment with someone who has very, VERY little left to lose, thanks to you."

Her voice was shaking and she stopped and closed her eyes for a moment. When they opened, they flashed up and heatedly pierced right into Loki's.

"Tell me about your brother."

Loki stared right back into her eyes. "What would you like to know Lady Sophie? How he is an idiot? How our entire lives I lived in his shadow? How when growing up he would constantly get the praise and admiration of our father?" He spat the word 'father' like it was bitter.

"Or perhaps you would like to know about the times that Thor would get us into terrible situations, life or death scenarios where it was my brain or cunning that got us out with our lives but he took all of the credit and let me take the blame for causing them?" His voice rose in volume slightly.

"Oh I know, maybe you would like to know about the times he had a direct hand in causing some of those scars you saw?" Loki chuckled darkly to himself.

"Do not believe what others tell you of Thor, Lady Sophie. They only know him for the polite front he puts on in the presence of others. They will not tell you of the arrogant Prince that he is, the war hungry slayer he really is. The so called god that would rather slaughter innocents in his path than pause to move them out of the way of harm." He shifted and winced.

"I remember the man in those photos, Lady Sophie. Your brother, he showed courage. He stood in front of me, said that he would not let innocents be murdered. Stood above, protecting, some small children from the Chitauri. I had ordered them not to touch your brother or the children, told them to go after the Captain. They spared your brother and his charges." Loki leaned toward Sophie.

"Thor had plenty of time to either move those people or attack from another direction, but he chose to instead smash his hammer into a vehicle to bowl them all over. Crushing your brother and those children." Leaning back in the bed he continued.

"Did S.H.I.E.L.D. tell you about the fight on that street? I am certain they did not. The street this happened on contained 2 houses full of orphans and a homeless shelter. None of the casualties on that street were by my hand of that of the Chitauri, those deaths are on the hands of the Avengers." Loki closed his eyes and tilted his head back.

"I may be an insane madman, Lady Sophie, but even I am not sadistic enough to harm defenseless children. By your leave, my Lady. I think I shall sleep for a time, goodnight." Loki rolled to his side and attempted to sleep.

"That absolves you of nothing you know. It was still your fight. You chose that street. It only adds another name to the list of people to blame." She spat at his back.

"Convenient nap for someone who doesn't sleep." She muttered under her breath as she saw herself out.

Sophia went back to the kitchen. Had she been dismissed AGAIN? She wanted to scream and rage, but she had been assured that she was being watched. Instead, with shaking hands, she took out her aggression on some helpless pie dough.

What could she even trust right now? What was she supposed to do here? S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't telling a unified story. The God of Lies had just backed up Agent Romanoff's account of what had happened to her brother. David could have told her who to trust. He would have said none of them.

She thrust the pie into the oven next to the roasting chicken and wiped her floury hands across her thighs. Sophia looked down at herself. She was covered with the residue of her cooking.

She went to her room and opened her bags and pulled a few things out and laid them on the bed. After she undressed she put her dirty clothes on the floor of the closet and shimmied into her jersey skirt. She pulled a V neck sweater on as she walked into the bathroom, kicking a bag of toiletries ahead of her.

A quick look in the mirror told her that she looked almost as wrung out as she felt. Some make up made her feel a bit more like she could convince people that she wasn't falling apart. Then she took her hair down, shook out her curls and massaged her scalp a bit. Better? Maybe.

Loki laid on side for several hours after Sophie left the room; he heard the quiet chatter of the Agents and the lady herself as they enjoyed the food she prepared.

It was well past the midnight hour when he decided to wander as quietly as he could with his shackles on. His stomach leads him to the kitchen. Loki rummaged around the fridge and found the left over chicken she had made for dinner; he had to admit it smelled delicious even cold.

He grabbed a seat at the island and started picking apart the leftovers.


	7. AoG7

Sophia had dinner with Agents Barton and Romanoff. Despite the situation, it almost felt good to be at a table with other people. She had been alone for too long.

Looking at Loki's door, she decided to let him be. If he wanted dinner, he could come get it.

She felt like she had almost convinced the Agents that she was holding it together. But as they were leaving Barton took her elbow and hissed in her ear," If I had known that you were going to throw Thor at him. I never would have left you alone in here. The last guy that I saw do that didn't end up so well."

"And yet, here I am." Sophia smiled and patted his arm before she shut the door behind them.

It was early, but she piled the dishes in the sink and went to bed. It had been an exhausting day.

She laid in the bed, not yet her bed, in the dark and quiet, with her eyes wide open. She straightened the blankets again. And adjusted the pillows again. And fidgeted with her ring. And sighed. Silent tears burned in her eyes until they leaked out and ran down the sides of her face into her hair.

It had been so long that she had lived with the feeling that she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. It hadn't hit the floor yet, but she could see it falling ever so slowly, ready to crash at any moment. The fact that she knew she was being watched was almost a relief from the constant fear that she MIGHT be being watched. The eyes behind the curtains now had faces and names and just maybe, all of them weren't out to get her.

She finally relaxed and slid into her nightmares. In her sleep she screamed and cried for her brother and against Nick Fury's lies of omission and Loki and Thanos. A new name was added to the nightmares. She sounded her anger at Thor now as well.

He cleaned up his trash once he was done with the left over chicken. Loki walked over to the wall of windows. His gaze wandered the skyline for he knew not how long; the sun had started to crest the horizon when he finally sat down, still facing the window.

His finger gently rubbed along his lip as the damage his invasion caused was revealed to him. Loki thought about the information that Sophie had showed him in that folder, thought about how much information was falsified.

Even what was supposed to be his greatest triumph was still out shined by his false brother and those SHIELD minions. It seemed that all he would be able to do would be to stew and simmer and brood. Think about what the days ahead will entail, and silently send a small prayer to the ancestors that his next captors are as….welcoming as this one was.

Loki whiled away the morning, lost in his own musings. At some point he did hear Sophie leave her bedroom and make her way to the kitchen and started a small machine that soon filled the room with a rather fragrant aroma. He got up and moved to the kitchen area. "Good morning, Lady Sophie."

Sophia blearily looked up and registered that she was being spoken to. She pulled her robe tighter around her.

"Ummm coffee?" she waved at the pot. "You're a morning person? Of course you are evil. Let me finish this cup and I may be OK. Just give me a minute."

She shuffled back to her room clutching her coffee cup to get dressed. A few minutes later she shuffled back out in a long loose sweater and leggings

Approaching Loki with a key, she said" I am trusting that you realize it is impolite to kill someone before breakfast. Just looking at these things makes me tired." and she unlocked the shackles again.

Loki cocked a brow when she walked away mumbling about mornings and evil. Once the shackles were off he rubbed his wrists. "I shall refrain from taking lives until after the midday meal."

He got up and poured himself a cup of the fragrant liquid; taking a small sip he spit it back into the sink. "This beverage tastes of bilgesnipe piss! Why in the name of Valhalla would you subject yourself to this swill?" Loki poured the rest of his cup down the drain.

"Is there anything in this forsaken realm that passes for a decent fast breaking beverage? Tea perchance?" He went to searching through the cupboards.

Sophia leaned on the counter and let out an honest laugh at the god's distress. "Maybe the piss connoisseur is a milk and sugar kind of a guy? I think I saw tea in the left cabinet."

She ran her hands through her hair and quickly braided it while she watched Loki. He was not in his element in the kitchen and seemed to be angry at the cabinets.

"Let me know if you need help." she chirped as she refilled her own cup.

Loki searched the cabinet on the left and found a box labeled tea; he made a face after seeing that it was inside a see through bag and attached to a string. Fumbling around more he found what could almost pass as a tea pot, filling it with water and setting it on the counter.

He heard her laughter when all he did was just glare at the pot for what seemed an eternity. "Bloody hell! Does this vessel not heat the water? And why is this tea in a bag? Does it not need to brew?" At this point he was ready to throw the whole thing through those shiny new windows.

"Woman! Help me already. Can you not see I am in need of help, or are you daft?" Loki snarled at Sophie.

"Not without my manners. Huh?" she looked at him from under raised eyebrows." OK. Let me show you around"

Placing the tea bag in a cup and the kettle on the stove, she explained the kitchen appliances and tea bags. She also got a few more things out and set them on the counter.

She moved Loki to the other side of the counter island and said, "Have a seat. The water will be just a minute. I will make some eggs and toast and you can tell me just how much S.H.I.E.L.D. got wrong in their dossier"

Loki sat on a stool and crossed his arms, looking every bit the petulant prince he was. A few moments later he could hear an ear splitting scream. "By the Nines! What is that racket?"

"It's the tea kettle, it whistles when the water boils. Now shush!" Sophie chastised him.

He curled lip but remained quiet, observing as she poured the hot water into the mug and slid it in his direction. This part looked vaguely familiar as the water started to interact with the tea bag. Loki waited what he normally would if he was brewing his own blend and took a sip, grimacing at the bitter taste. "Not exactly what I had in mind but it is better than that rubbish." His chin poked in the direction of the coffee pot.

Loki watched as a small smile graced her features. Sophie flipped a couple of eggs onto a plate along with some toast and slid it his way. It looked normal enough, so he tucked in. After a few bites he paused. "What exactly would you like my input on?"

Sophia leaned on the counter across from him and poked at her plate, she ignored his complaints about the coffee. She knew she made good coffee. After all, she did it for a living right now.

"Anything. Everything. Anything really wrong or missing. S.H.I.E.L.D. seems to be as good at lying as you are supposed to be. While sitting here and hating you is LOADS of fun, I am not planning on making a career out of it.

Did you manage to get your hands on everything that you were trying to get here? Besides a throne? I'm just a part time waitress and I could tell something was off about the invasion. You have to have an amazing advantage to want to take a fight to someone's home GROUND and you took it straight to Stark's damn HOME. I don't need a battle plan, just please tell me that I'm not alone because you are so dumb that it's lucky you are pretty. If you had won would the death and damage have been worth it?" Her voice was thick with emotion as she spoke, but her eyes were clear and they never stopped scanning his for reactions.

She pushed her plate forward a bit. " You are done with yours. Do you want mine? I'm actually not very hungry right now."

Loki slid her plate next to his and took a bite, thinking about what she asked and throwing a mocking smile at her about the hatred being a profession.

"I did not get everything; In fact I failed my mission. The being that….persuaded me into using his army wanted to gain possession of the Tesseract. Honestly I did not want to rule Midgard but my….Master, I suppose you could call him, would take no other answer. It was Him that wants Midgard to fall and death to run rampant." He took another bite and grimaced, the food seemingly turning sour in his mouth.

"I did things this way because I was confidant that someone would be able to stop it, what better way to get the attention of another powerful entity than to attack the heart of a beloved location? I had not realized that Thor would be present, if I had I might have considered the other….option." Sophie could see his eyes glaze over in what could only be fear.

"I had two scenarios planned on what could have happened. The first would have been that I was stopped before the invasion even started, the powers that be were too slow to read my intentions and stop things." Loki took a long swallow of his tea and continued.

"The second scenario was that the realm would have realized that they could not stop me, the casualties would have been much smaller in number in that case. I realize that none of this makes any real sense but if you knew of the alternative, you may have chosen the same thing. No I will not reveal what the alternative was, I am sure your dreams are plagued by terror enough the way it is." He pushed the uneaten portion away from him.

Loki leaned forward and rested his head on his hands. "The things that I have seen and been subjected to would most likely make even Agent Romanoff weep. I trust that this conversation will remain between the two of us? Your handlers would think you mad as I am if you brought this to their attention."

"Why not just tell Thor or even S.H.I.E.L.D. what was happening? They might have been able to help you."

Loki just shook his head. "Would you believe anything that came from the mouth of the God of Lies? Deceit is in my blood, my entire existence is a lie." He slammed his fist against the counter and pointed his finger at her, his face contorted in anger. Loki opened his mouth as if to say something but paused.

"Did you just call me pretty?

"I..I..Ahh" Sophia stammered. She didn't know how to deal with someone that took a perfectly good insult as a compliment, so she passed on it for a moment.

Quite earnestly she said," I believe much more of what you just told me than anyone would suspect. I think the content of my nightmares would surprise you. I can't explain why. Nothing that happens in here is just between you and I, you need to realize that. I'm not going to take S.H.I.E.L.D. anything they don't notice on their own though. Anything I ask is strictly for my own peace of mind. "

She wouldn't trust him with the knowledge of the limited surveillance in her rooms. She glanced around the room and waved. " If you are watching, hello agents."

Loki's eyes quickly darted around the room. Before he had a chance to get too agitated Sophia placed her hand over the one he had fisted on the counter. His eyes returned to her at the gesture. " But thank you. I think that you said something that** I** needed to hear. Sorry for you though, because you may have just convinced me that you are slightly more sane than insane. That just makes you more responsible for your actions."

She brought her hand back to her lap and blurted out," Pretty is as pretty does. That's what my Mom used to say."

Loki could virtually smell the lie but held back from calling her on it, instead focusing on his anger. He quickly stood and backed away slowly toward his room. "You do not know what you have done! Those fools will take me back into custody and force more information out of me! I will leave here in the morning and I guarantee that I will not be back, if I am returned it will be bloody and bruised."

He let out a humorless chuckle. "Thank you for showing your true nature before I actually started to trust you. Mortals, you are all the same. Lowly, pathetic creatures, you've no idea of the danger that still lingers." Loki slammed his fist against the door frame.

"The knowledge I have let known may very well condemn you all, it was best for your realm if it died with me." Loki then turned on his heel and stormed back to his room, slamming the door.

Sophia shouted at the door as it slammed, "Drama much!?"

"Arrogant, self centered, jackass, sonofabitch!" she mumbled as she slammed around the kitchen cleaning up breakfast.

"Stubborn, idiot, stupid, fucking asshole!" she griped as she unpacked her clothes into the closet and dresser.

"Egotistic, thick headed, douche bag, fucknut!" she yelled as she showered.

"Goddamn, pompous, asshat, twatwaddle!" she swore as she unpacked some of her books and a chess set onto the coffee table.

"You are going to make me do this aren't you? Fucker!" she bitched as she scrolled through the TV menu.

Finally, she unclenched her jaw and knocked on Loki's door. There was no answer.

"If you don't say no, I am going to take it as a yes! May I come in?"Again, no answer. So she opened the door and strode up to the bed. Loki was on his side facing away from her.

"Pout all that you want. Give me the silent treatment. Actually that's for the best, because you need to listen to me right now." She snarled.

She paced back and forth as she shouted. "Think about things for someone else's point of view for just one second! Listen to what they say without making it about you. I know you must feel pretty damn important right now. All of these lives torn up AGAIN, just to serve the interests of Prince Loki. This whole building set up, just for Loki. The Avengers sitting around doing nothing, just in case Loki can't make it through dinner without trying to stab someone with a fork. But it's NOT ALL ABOUT YOU! I need to know things for MY sake! What I wanted actually had very little to do with you at all except for the fact that you might have had the knowledge.

And how in the Holy Hell was I supposed to know that you didn't realize this whole place is monitored? I told you as soon as I understood that you didn't know! Do you really think they would lock a civilian up with a genocidal sociopath for the night and just HOPE the walls weren't painted with blood in the morning?

Sophia sat down on the edge of the bed and poked at Loki's back. "If this is all you have to wear except for the rags you showed up in, I am going to trust you with something very important. You can borrow my armor. "


	8. AoG8

Loki rolled over and arched a brow at her when she said armor. He snorted in derision when he saw the very large black hooded sweatshirt in her hand.

"Go ahead, laugh. It IS my armor. I don't fight in it. I AVOID fights in it. Sometimes it is best to be able to hide yourself in plain sight, especially when you DO realize how dangerous things are. I understand danger." Loki rolled his eyes and turned to roll the rest of him away, but Sophia pulled him back by the shoulder.

"It is generally polite to LOOK at someone when they are speaking to you!" She gestured at her eyes with her hand. She glanced repeatedly from Loki to her ring. The square stone in a distinct shade of blue twinkled oddly. Her eyes widened as they met with his and silently begged him to understand what she was trying to tell him.

"If a girl walks down the street wearing this shirt, no one is going to mess with her. In most cases, she will be invisible because no one will want to notice her. Invisible is good. They will just assume that her grocery bag is full of ice cream and cat food and that she is on her way home to cry alone. It's not as impressive as yours was, but IT WORKS JUST AS WELL. I personally, am more afraid of wearing it in here than outside at this point in time, but it will at least keep you covered." Loki reached out to take the shirt and he hesitated when his hand came close to hers. Did he understand? She couldn't be more open about the fact that she had a shard of the tesseract sitting on her finger. If S.H.I.E.L.D. had any idea it existed they would just take it and try to use it and pull more trouble than Loki down on the world. She couldn't risk any more. His eyes revealed nothing to her.

They said nothing for a moment. She broke the silence. "I read where the Tesseract could work like a door and open from both sides. I wonder if it could work like a window. If you turned it on and looked through it at things, could the things see you too? I'll bet they could. They would probably be pretty mad too" Loki's face still showed nothing. She sighed.

"Look, I didn't intend to jeopardize you. But, if you do come back bloody, it will be because of your arrogance, condescension, temper, and the fact that you destroyed a city and thousands of lives, not because you were telling me Fairy Tales in the kitchen. If a person gets in trouble for talking, I am just as screwed as you are. Think about what I have said to you carefully. You are not a stupid man, but somehow you are still lucky enough to be not unattractive. I'm sure you can understand me. I am going to make some dinner later. I'll put some in the fridge if you aren't coming out. If you are, I could use your help. I can't reach the showerhead in my bathroom and I need to adjust it."

Sophie got up and left. She sped up as she crossed the living room. Luckily, she made it to her toilet just as the bile forced its way up out of her throat.

"Oh God," she moaned as she held her head with shaking hands."What have I just done?"

Loki lat in bed for several hours after she had left, idly stroking the hoodie she left behind. He understood perfectly what she was trying to do; subterfuge was part of his nature. Question is, does he confront her now or confront her if he returns? For the first time in quite awhile, hope blossomed in Loki's chest. The shard of the Tesseract imbedded in that ring she wore could possibly gain him aid in ridding the universe of the Mad Titan; he just had to figure out how.

Eventually he did manage to catch a few hours of sleep sometime around dawn; he awoke again when he heard Sophie in the other room.

Cautiously he donned the hoodie she had loaned him and went into the living room area, sitting in a chair near the window. Neither spoke a word for several minutes.

"Lady Sophie…." Loki intoned cautiously. "I wish to apologize for my behavior last night. I realize I may have over reacted and for that I am sorry, I would also like to thank you for the loaning of this garment and the hospitality you have shown me." He stood then and approached her in the kitchen, standing close he took her hand in his.

"If this be our last meeting then I must also apologize for everything that I have done and the pain I have caused, I know that it does not make everything right or even scratch the surface of the wrongs committed. I just felt that this needed saying and would hope that if we meet again, this would open the path to co-existence and perhaps in time….friendship." The front door opened at that moment to reveal Agents Barton and Romanoff, shackles dangling from Barton's fingers.

"Until next we meet, my Lady." Loki brought her hand to his lips, his breath ghosting across her knuckles as he kissed them. He stepped away and towards the waiting Agents, holding his wrists in front of him as they placed the cuffs once again on him, leading Loki out of the apartment and toward his newest captor.


End file.
